A primary concern for any fleet manager is fleet driver safety. No fleet manager wants their drivers to be injured (or worse) due to a collision, and most are happy to do whatever they can to prevent such incidents. While you probably understand the basics, like ensuring that brakes work and drivers use seatbelts, are you aware that you can use fleet management data to promote safety within your fleet? Read on to find out how.
Driver Safety Training
One of the most obvious ways that you can take advantage of fleet management data to improve fleet driver safety is the ability to offer customized driver safety training. If you have a comprehensive package, your fleet management software likely allows you to track driver behaviors like speeding, hard braking, and near impact events. This means you have the opportunity to address these problems directly with the worst offenders in your fleet.
Periodically, you should pull reports that tell you the frequency of any risky driving behaviors broken down by driver. From this reporting, determine which types of training would benefit each of your drivers. Then put together a customized training program for each driver, covering the safety issues you see in their driving habits.
This probably seems like a lot of work, and it certainly can be, especially if you have a large fleet with many drivers to consider. Fortunately, Azuga offers a program that does all the work for you. With Azuga Coach, an add-on feature offered with our fleet management software, you’ll be able to automatically develop and distribute custom training programs for each driver in your fleet in no time at all.
While it’s easy for this to become a “big brother” type of program in the eyes of your fleet drivers, it doesn’t have to be. Rather than using data to create “gotcha” moments, why not turn this into a positive program that allows drivers to compete to be the safest in the fleet? Our Driver Safety Rewards program offers the ability to reward your safest drivers and inspire others to improve their habits.
Preventive Maintenance
We all know that basic fleet maintenance is a vital component of any safe fleet. But did you know that preventive maintenance can catch problems when they start? You can then repair or replace parts before they become a hazard for your drivers. Not only is this a safer practice, but it will also save you money by correcting problems in their infancy before they have a chance to affect other parts and systems.
A preventative maintenance program powered by fleet management data goes far beyond simply checking the tires and brakes on each vehicle. Instead, it interfaces directly with the vehicle’s onboard computer, alerting fleet managers to problems as soon as they pop up, long before they cause a breakdown or become dangerous for your drivers.
Optimized Routing
We’ve all heard of tragedies that occur when someone is simply in the wrong place at the wrong time. This is equally true of fleet accidents and other related hazards. While you can never wholly avoid such unpredictable problems, a fully-featured fleet dispatch program with real-time dynamic routing allows you to avoid some common danger areas like construction zones, road hazards, and accident scenes. Not only that, an optimized routing solution can steer drivers around natural disasters like floods, hurricanes, and other hazardous conditions. This means your drivers are less likely to be routed through an area that poses an extra risk, whether man-made or natural.
Azuga SafetyIQ
If you’re looking for comprehensive fleet data software that keeps safety at the forefront, Azuga SafetyIQ is a perfect solution. We’ll help you understand your fleet’s risk factors, then improve driver safety by providing you with actionable data about any holes in your fleet safety plan. With more than a million devices currently in the market and over 300 million trips tracked each year, Azuga is the clear choice for safety-minded fleet managers. Request a demo today to learn how we can improve your fleet’s safety.
